What exactly does this mean? Are you saying that you can read the market and are looking for someone else to bounce ideas off of, or are you saying that you cannot read the market and want to get better?
I don't know what level you're at but here's something to consider:
Price Action is mostly bullshit. This term gets thrown around a lot and most people don't even understand what it means. Everyone talks about it because that's all anyone talks about (the noobs, anyway).
Here is my definition of Price Action: "how price moves through time and the slightly recognizable patterns it creates while doing so".
Simple.
Price Action will allow you to get in at better prices but ONLY if it occurs within specific timeframes and near specific levels on the chart. It DOES NOT give you direction or market sentiment. You CANNOT let a chart pattern tell you where the market is going next. It is simply a mechanism for entering at a better price in the context of a move you want to be in on based on other analysis.
One could even argue that Price Action doesn't even matter, and all you really need to do is see if price is reacting around a level enough to potentially stall it, so that you can fade it in the other direction, and entering at the lowest (if long) or highest (if short) price possible. Consolidation pattern, flags, triangles... all that shit is really just the same thing: buyers/sellers in a tight range.
Once you "get" trading there's really nothing to talk about. You say that you "believe" you have edge. What does this mean? How long have you been trading? How long have you been consistently profitable? Either you have edge or you don't. Are you just now putting up numbers or have you been at this for months/years and consistently pulling in some decent cash?
If you're trading some moving average crossover/MACD bullshit then eventually that will fail. How exactly do you trade?
I mean most successful guys I know are either on a sell side/buy side desk at a bank or on some beach somewhere swinging 100 lots on ES and just living life. The guys not tied to a desk trade a few hours a day where the volatility/volume is (US open) and then call it quits.
The trading "community" largely consists of idiots who think their backtested stochastic system is as good as the Yale graduate working at Goldman, who can stop the market with his 5000 lot order, or the guy that worked a desk for years who has years of experience and is now trading his own funds. To everyone who is actually putting up numbers: it's just a job.
I assume you're up and coming and did this on your own? What exactly are you looking for in watching someone trade live? You're right, most can't (aka retail traders), but the ones that can are usually working together so it's not like they're visiting forums and trying to get together for a cookout or some shit. They'll see each other tomorrow morning.
You need to be more specific on what you want and why you want it and I will try my best to help you.
Personally I don't even live in the USA anymore (fuck that place) but maybe a meet up is possible if I can further understand what it is that you're looking for?
If you're lonely and looking to get into the trading world then I would suggest you fight to get into some type of firm and then you can leave this internet bullshit behind and all the morons that will poison you eagerly if you let them.
Ok, I apologize as well for my last post. I appreciate you being objective and using logical reasoning skills. This isn't to disparage anyone else here, really have no interest in being rude to others, debating or having them be rude to me. At the same time I get the feeling a lot of these replies are not in good faith or the people giving them don't actually understand what it takes to be profitable in day trading. Can't necessarily prove that though, so it is possible my assumption is incorrect.
Anyways this is where I may actually be guilty of failing to communicate clearly, but I will do my best to answer your questions since I really appreciate your post. It's a pretty simple understanding to myself personally, but people are saying I am not giving enough information. I am just going to put it all out there. Apologize if it's lengthy or difficult to read.
(1) Exactly what I want is someone to come trade with me and observe the process, so they can get on the same page, see the vision and verify I not only have edge, but understand how to use it. Furthermore the purpose of this is to start a business and help with funding of that business. Lastly, the reason for this besides the obvious of scaling the business faster and making more efficient use of my time the additional reasons are:
(A) It greatly reduces the risk of failure and allows to size down while still making the necessary income for me to be able to put all my focus in trading. Yes, I realize I can't just leave my job, but I'll be on a lot faster path than another route.
(B) While not perfect and can still happen, it still removes a large part of the data issues that happen on a pretty consistent basis on the prop firm account.
(C) It will either immediately or if not for certain in the future lead to better commission structure.
It's also very possible I am not a super stud trader to the level you describe, by no means am I perfect or think I am some type of prodigy, not at all, but am better than most(at least when it comes to retail which I realize isn't necessarily great, you have to be to even have a shot) and know under the right conditions I have strong probability to consistently over time produce what I need, using appropriate risk management.
(2) The bases of how I trade is using my logical abilities and pattern recognition. Not necessarily in the standard or simple sense. Sure in hindsight trading it could be construed as some type of standard pattern, but in live trading unrealistic to catch consistently unless you're actively expecting for price to do something, having it do it and than preparing for your entry upon your chosen entry method(which you don't even necessarily have to have, but there are some PA entry methods I find effective for favorable R/R. Also, noticing a slight a deviation from the current patterns, which is indicative of a possible directional move being over or a new way of delivering price starting, which means I'll most likely remain flat until am able to determine it again. That's the basis. I do over lay this with other confluences, like for one example a consistent mathematical way to calculate means reversion levels that were created based upon other means reversion levels failing to being reverted to. But that is the basis, without listing every single thing I use in detail. There's someone else keeping track of other things to lesson the information burden and allowing me to focus more on the execution.
(3) I'd rather not disclose the exact amount in the prop firm on the forum. Of course nothing is guaranteed, but the point stands it would be a high probability that I could produce the income I am looking for if I was able to withdrawal it. Fully understand everything you said regarding this and it's also my concern. I don't believe I'll be paid out the large sum, but again without getting too specific on that it will be roughly 2 months before there's a definitive conclusion to that. I have no choice but to proceed as if that won't happen.
(4) You mentioned you need to trade live funds. I feel I need to as well, for all the reasons and issues I listed previously regarding the SIM environment (to refresh mainly the data integrity and commissions). Not sure people realize how much delayed fills and commissions can eat into you. Even with this if I could be guaranteed I would be paid out, there's a good probability that I could work through those issues.
(5) Yes, you mentioned topstep but they have a daily loss limit. I need to make about $2.5-$3k a day (on average obviously) to be able to focus on trading exclusively(you need a buffer and multiplier to leave you can't just obviously replace your base income and quit, think you understand this, but not sure if anyone else reading this thread will). Not here to fool myself or anyone else, I cannot do that on a $2,000.00 or $4,500.00 account balance, that doesn't even factor in the daily loss limit(so really $1,000.00 to $3,000.00 balance). Sure, if I build up the account slowly over time and hope or get them to remove the daily loss limit, it's possible. That could take some time. If people ultimately determine I don't have the skill or don't deserve a "short cut" fair enough, but if they can also benefit from this, not sure why you would be begrudge someone. Trading is a business so I don't necessarily believe there's need to be a stigma to separate it from other businesses, outside of the fact that it obviously is one of the more difficult ones to succeed in.
Below I will try to do more rapid fire answers:
*Been looking / into the markets for about 3.5 years now, started with crypto, but only been trading futures markets for about 1.5 years, with good improvements coming in the last 6 months, with strong improvements in the last two.
*I met someone on discord who swore to me he knew a lot of about the markets and just had discipline issues which he claimed was the only reason he couldn't make money and convinced me to work with him. Didn't really know any better so agreed because of that and also out of curiosity. Surprisingly turns out he was more correct than not, although he was still missing some pieces to trading, but together we eventually filled those in. So, I did not necessarily do it alone no. I feel like that person cut down my learning curve a lot.
Thanks for reading all of this. I know it was a lot. I hope I delivered on my side as far as adding clarity.
